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A Detailed Medify MA-25 H13 Air Purifier Review

Medify? What comes to mind when someones says med whatever? Ideas like meds, physicians, and comprehensive tests pop into mind. But the executives from one air purifier brand woke up one morning and decided that Medify would be a great name for a company that makes portable room cleaners.

Here’s the thing about Medify air purifiers: they’ve become really popular. Everyone and their granny wants to buy one of these air purification monsters.

But are Medify air purifiers good? Is the Medify MA 25 air purifier good? Is this product worth the money? These and more questions are what this Medify MA-25 review is all about.

Related: Best Baby Room Air Purifier

Levoit Core 300 Air Purifier

Summary of the Review of Medify MA-25 Review

The Medify MA air purifier is a sub-$200 air purifier that employs H13 HEPA filters to capture all kinds of small and very small air impurities. This air purifier is designed for sanitizing small rooms to medium sized rooms.

Dorm rooms, kitchens (more on this down the road), living rooms, bedrooms, offices, and other medium-sized spaces. It’s also a good option for small spaces that need serious air cleaning such as baby rooms/nursery, but it’d be overkill in a 65 sq. ft. nursery.

Standing 13.5 inches tall, the Medify MA-25 air purifier is a smaller version of its more vigorous and bigger sibling, the Medify MA-40. The MA-25 is relatively small and light, but not the smallest option out there. And it’s quite powerful for the price and size.

You can buy this air cleaner (MA-25) in different kinds of colors, from black to silver and white. Here’s a video review of the Medify MA-25.

Design, Dimensions, and Weight of the Medify MA-25

Like many Medify air purifiers, the 28-watt MA-25 has a boxy look and offers dual-filtration. It feature a clean, sleek control panel, one made of kid and pet-safe tempered glass. Weighing just a little over 7 pounds and measuring 13.5″H x 8″ W x 8D, it’s light and small enough, plus it’s highly portable.

These are the features it offers: a child-lock to prevent kids from altering with your settings and a 3-fan speed setting.

There’s also a sleep mode/button light dimmer for disturbance-free sleep and a filter-change indicator so you’ll remember to install replacement filters when the time comes.

A centrally placed power button enables you to turn the unit on and off. And an 8-hour timer supports efficient operations that conserve energy while saving you money.

Features and Specs of the Medify MA-25 Air Purifier

I now walk you through the features and specs of this air cleaner so you can decide if it’s what your indoor air quality situation needs.

A Sleek, Tempered Glass Touchscreen

The MA-25 looks really nice when viewed from the top. It has a glass touch screen that really transforms its looks. One great thing about this glass touch screen is that it’s similar to the kind of glass used to make smartphone screens or vehicles’ windshields.

If this air purifier ever tips over after a sideways push, the glass shatters without disintegrating into sharp pieces of glass, and this makes it safe to use even if you have pets or children around.

In the center of the stunningly cute control panel sits the on/off button. This button works, and I can’t seem to remember a single instance when it gave me problems.

Speed Settings and Noise Levels

The MA-25 air purifier features 3 different speed settings.  This device operates pretty quietly on low. This is the fan speed setting I usually choose when the air in the room isn’t too dirty. I use this setting when all I want is silent background-level filtration.

Fan speed 2 is a little louder, not much louder than library noise for reference. As for fan speed 3, it’s extremely loud. Don’t expect to sleep with this setting on.

But if there are strong cooking odors, tobacco smoke, MJ smoke, or even wildfire smoke to conquer, bump up the speed to fan speed 3. However, you can’t hold a conversation with a loved one with this little monster running on the highest speed setting.

When you press the fan speed button (looks like a fan), a light moves from the current setting to the next one. This helps you to know which setting you’re on at any time.

A 1,2,4,8-Hour Timer

Many air purifiers these days come with a timer. And most of these timers tend to be 8-12-hour timers. But I’ve seen 24-hour timers, and that’s really nice. But I don’t see how an 8-hour timer would be a bummer for anyone.

This feature allows you to decide how long you want your air purifying device to clean your indoor air. Once the chosen cleaning duration lapses, the machine automatically shuts down.

This is an energy-saving feature, which means it saves you money every day. Well, you won’t get rich saving money this way. But there’s nothing like ending up with big bucks without taking care of the cents first.

Another benefit you get from this feature is convenience. You set the device up and forget it. And it does the job without needing you to be there to switch it off once the air cleaning session ends.

Child-lock Feature

This feature looks like a closed padlock, and its job is to keep any settings you make intact. If your kiddo or pet touches any of these buttons, well, nothing happens.

They can’t turn on the device or turn it off. Nor can they increase or decrease fan speed. Or dim the electronic controls. Or perform any other action on the unit. I really like this feature. Because kids and pups are playful and like touching things and pressing little flashing buttons.

A Dimmer So You Can Have Disturbance-free Sleep

A sun-like symbol represents this feature. When you work this button, it dims the control panel, dimming it completely. This dramatically reduces the amount of light/glow from the touch screen. If you (or your baby) are a light sleeper, you’ll absolutely love this light-dimming feature.

What if you have no trouble sleeping with the controls all lit-up? You can use this unit as a nightlight. Your child would love you more for it because the light would introduce a sense safety and comfort into the nursery at nighttime.

Air Purification Ability of the Medify MA-25

With a Clean Air Delivery Rate of 230* (a clarification on this claim below), the MA-25 gives its users 1 air change every 30 minutes in a 500 sq. ft. room. But here’s my honest opinion as far as this device’s air cleansing power: don’t use it in a 500 sq. ft. room. Why? Because 2 air changes an hour is too few air changes per hour.

I advise my readers to not buy any purifier that won’t do at least 4 air changes per hour in the room they intend to clean.

If you want to get 4 air changes per hour from this air purifier, put it to work in a much smaller room, one measuring 250 sq. ft. This makes it compare favorably with another True HEPA air purifier called Honeywell HPA200 that cleans 310 sq. ft. rooms 5 times every hour.

A note on this unit’s CADR rating: Medify doesn’t participate in AHAM Verifide’s voluntary air purifier testing program. I don’t know how they came up with a CADR of 230 for the MA-25, but I can say without fear or favor that the MA-25’s manufacturer-stated CADR rating isn’t verified by the Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers.

You’re Getting Dual Filtration With the Medify MA-25

One beautiful thing about Medify air purifiers is that they come with a set of two air filters. Most air purifiers come with one set of air filters, but the MA-25 offers dual filtration. You’ll have to buy two replacement filters. Medify replacement filters can be quite pricey. Fortunately, this unit’s replacement filters are pretty affordable.

These filters do a really good air purification job. And isn’t this why you’re willing to pay close to $200 for this air filtration monster for small and medium-sized rooms?

This filter is a 3-stage option. Aside from the True HEPA filter, there’s a pre-filter that captures larger debris such as pet dander, pet hair, and fibers.

Then there’s an carbon-rich odor filter that removes VOCs, wildfire smoke, cooking odors, toxic exhaust fumes, pain fumes, tobacco smoke, and more.

While this air purifier is great for smoke removal, it’s not a good idea to keep it too close to smoke sources such as a stove. Or to smoke inside the house just because you have a tobacco smoke eater around!

The right way to use it is to select the fastest (and loudest) speed setting and let it run for some time after an event such as prepping a meal in the kitchen.

Leave the device running for about 30 minutes and then switch to a slower and less powerful fan speed.

How the Medify MA-25 Air Purifier Works

Many air purifiers today suck in contaminated air from the back or sides if they have a cylindrical shape and release clean air via the top. But that’s not how it is with the rectangular-shaped Medify MA-25 air purifier.

With this portable room air cleaner, impure indoor air gets into the filtration chamber from two sides. Each side of the air purifier features a cover with a handle at the top, and behind each door/cover sits a medical-grade H13 HEPA filter.

This means that this unit employs two medical-grade filters to filter out pollutants versus one HEPA filter for competing air purifiers.

Once the air gets in, HEPA-grade filtration kicks off and removes all kinds of impurities from the indoor air being cleaned. This filter removes pet dander, mold spores, dust, pollen, and other particulates. The prefilter takes out large-sized contaminants, and the activated carbon filter deodorizes the air. Clean air exits the MA-25 via one of the sides rather than through the top.

How Much Air Pollution Does the MA-25 Remove?

According to Medify Air, the medical-grade filters in Medify air purifiers have the ability to capture 99.9% of 0.1-micron particles. This is a pretty bold claim, and I don’t know what to think of it. I’ve read in many places that medical-grade or H13 filters are better than True HEPA filters. But is this claim correct?

Medical Grade/H13 vs. True HEPA Air Filters

Here’s one fact you need to know: H13/medical-grade air filters are True HEPA filters. True HEPA filters take out at least 99.97% of contaminants 0.3 microns in size. They have a MERV rating of between 17 and 20, which makes the best bet against particulates of all kinds. There are H10, H11, H12, H13, and H14 filters, and some people call H13 and H14 filters medical-grade.

But in truth, there’s nothing really special about the so-called medical-grade filters. They’re HEPA filters and while they are superior to HEPA-style filters, they’re not superior to True HEPA filters. In fact, many air purifier brands including Levoit and others equip their air purifying devices with H13 filters. And they don’t even call them medical-grade filters.

How Long Do the Filters of the MA-25 Last?

The 3-stage filter of the MA-25 lasts about 2,500 hours which is like 3-4 months of really comprehensive air filtration. That’s a pretty short filter life compared to the average filter lifespan of most air purifiers.  Many air purifier filters last between 6 and 8 months, and some like those of Honeywell purifiers last up to 12 months.

Luckily, this air cleaner’s replacement filters aren’t expensive. One filter set costs around $25, so you pay $50-ish for a complete dual-filter set.

Related: HEPA vs Carbon Filters

Where to Place the MA-25 Air Purifier

This is a rectangular-shaped air purifier, and you can see a mechanical filter if you peep through one of the sides. The motor shoots out clean air through one side, which means you can’t install the device just about anywhere. You can place this device against a wall. However, you should have enough space in front of it since fresh air exits via the front.

Air purifiers that expel clean air via the top are a good option because you can place them pretty much anywhere and you won’t have anything blocking airflow.

But I didn’t come across one fan of the MA-25 who was bummed about the unit not releasing clean air via the top. It certainly isn’t a deal breaker.

You can use the MA-25 in the nursery, office, bedroom, and living room. And if you hate breathing lingering cooking smells, place it in the kitchen after cooking and select its most powerful fan speed.

Where to Buy the MA-25 Air Purifier

You can buy it on Amazon and on many other online stores similar to Amazon. You can also purchase this air cleaner directly from Medify. Medify is a great brand, and if the many positive star ratings from happy parents and other consumers is any indication, they’re a credible company.

If you want to get really good deals on Medify replacement filters, head over to this manufacturer’s official site.

How to Clean the MA-25 Air Purifier

Cleaning the MA-25 air purifier is as easy as wiping it down with a damp microfiber cloth. You can use a mild soap to scrub away stubborn dirt on the casing of the cleaner. Turn off the unit, unplug it, and wipe it down. It’s a 5-minute job.

Related: How to Clean HEPA Filters

HEPA vs HEPA-Filters

If you wish to clean the inside of this purifier, open the filter covers and use a vacuum to suck up any loose dirt. You may also lightly vacuum the HEPA filter with a brush attachment to somewhat increase filter life. But the smartest thing to do is to order a replacement filter and toss away the existing dirty filters.

Pros and Cons of the MA-25 Air Cleaner

Pros

  • At a sub-$200 and that performance level, it’s a cheap deal.
  • Offers dual-HEPA-grade filtration
  • It uses medical-grade H13 filters
  • Super easy to set up and use.
  • The electronic controls sit on a sleek panel made of tempered glass.
  • Has a dimmer/sleep mode
  • Offers an 8-hour timer for efficient operations
  • Doesn’t have an ionizer so no ozone produced

Cons

  • Lacks a built-in air quality sensor
  • Can’t be operated remotely
  • Uses 2 sets of filters which need to be replaced every 3-4 months
  • Fresh air exits via the side rather than via the top

Medify 25 vs MA-40

The MA-25 is a smaller version of the MA-40. The MA-40 is more popular with users due to its bigger air cleaning capability. The MA-40 cleans rooms 840 sq. ft. in size in 30 or 1680 sq. ft. in 1 hour versus 500 sq. ft. in 30 minutes or 1000 sq. ft. in 1 hour for the MA.25.

Also, with the MA-40, you have the option to buy H13 filters or even better-quality filters, H14 filters. But there’s one key difference between these two Medify air purifier models. The MA-40 has an ionizer, and Medify says this feature is ozone-free.  You want to deactivate this ionizer if you have breathing issues. And I’d not want to use this machine in the baby room/nursery.

H13 and H14 are described as medical-grade filters that Medify says remove 99.9% of 0.1 micron and 99.99% of 0.1-micron particles respectively. Other than this, these two air purifiers are similar. But at $260-ish the MA-40 costs significantly more than its less powerful sibling.

Medify MA-25 vs Levoit Core 300

The Levoit Core 300 from Levoit uses H13 True HEPA filters as does the MA-40. Also, it lacks automatic control, and it is app-less. One more thing, the Core 300 doesn’t have a built-in air quality sensor. They’re basic air purifiers that do the air cleaning job without all the bells and whistles.

In terms of filtration power, the Core 300 purifies rooms up to 219 sq. ft., delivering 5 air changes per hour in these spaces vs. 4 air changes in 250 sq. ft. rooms for MA-25. So, the Core 300 wins the filtration ability contest, plus it’s cheaper than the MA-25, and it releases fresh air via the top.

If I were to pick the winner between the MA-25 and Levoit Core 300, I’d go with the Levoit. Here’s a detailed Levoit Core 300 air purifier review if you’re interested. And here’s a guide on how to clean a Levoit Air Purifier.

Final Thoughts

The MA-25 is a decent air purifier that does a good job at eliminating smoke and particulates such as dust, mold, asbestos, pet dander, bird dander, pollen, and more.

Unlike many air purifiers, this unit offers dual-filtration using two sets of H13 air filters. Also, it’s reasonably sized and highly portable, and And the best part? It is surprisingly affordable. Unless you end up with a faulty product, this is pretty good buy, the purifier you’ll want to use every time you crave pristine indoor air.

Anything important you feel this Medify MA-25 review didn’t mention? Tell me about it in the comments box below.

Author: Esther Moni

I'm Esther Moni, a proud stay-at-home mom and a psychology graduate of the United States International University (USIU) . I hate it when anyone calls me a housewife, because what does housewife even mean? Being a mother of two babies and a pup, Bailey, as well as being Ricky's wife tires me to no end, but I still manage a smile at the end of it all. And when my boys aren't done doing mischief, I juggle writing a post on parenting or baby gear performance for this blog and running my little counselling office based out in Nairobi. <a href="https://www.facebook.com/esther.moni/">Visit my Facebook profile here</a>, and this is my <a href="https://ke.linkedin.com/in/esther-moni-3841b573/">LinkedIn profile</a>, and here's my <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKcVb3NNDrURDH8C0KiAE1g/">nascent youtube channel.

Esther Moni

I'm Esther Moni, a proud stay-at-home mom and a psychology graduate of the United States International University (USIU) . I hate it when anyone calls me a housewife, because what does housewife even mean? Being a mother of two babies and a pup, Bailey, as well as being a wife tires me to no end, but I still manage a smile at the end of it all. And when my boys aren't done doing mischief, I juggle writing a post on parenting or baby gear performance for this blog and running my little counselling office based out in Nairobi. Visit my Facebook profile here, and this is my LinkedIn profile, and here's my nascent youtube channel.

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